


Garmacest Week V2

by Lanner



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-01 07:18:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15137999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lanner/pseuds/Lanner
Summary: Seven days dedicated to the relationship between Lloyd and Garmadon, platonic, romantic, or otherwise. (Chapters will be labelled accordingly.)





	1. Sharing Warmth

**Author's Note:**

> I've been struggling with health issues so I might not be on time with each prompt, but I'll do my best.
> 
> this prompt takes place in season 3. no explicit or implied romance in this one.

     Their first night in the mountains was cold. As the sun finally set beyond the horizon, stealing away the light and warmth and blanketing the mountains in a dim, grey twilight, Garmadon called for a stop. They had just pulled themselves up onto a shallow ledge jutting from the rock face, flat enough to sit down on.

  
     “It’s getting too dark to climb any further. We’ll rest here for the night.”

  
     Lloyd wearily groaned in gratitude, immediately dropping to the ground and splaying his aching limbs out to stretch. Garmadon chuckled and sat next to his son, rubbing his own sore arms and assessing the situation.

  
     “I’m sorry that it isn’t more comfortable, but we’ll have to make do.”

  
     “It won’t be comfortable, but it’s definitely not the worst place I’ve slept,” Lloyd said in an odd tone; half reminiscent and half deprecating.

  
     “I know what you mean,” Garmadon agreed, looking at him curiously. “But how do you know such a thing? Granted it’s not the most ideal arrangement, but where have you been that's worse than a mountainside?”

  
     “The snow,” Lloyd replied instantly. His eyes seemed to see into another time. “It’s so cold. It gets everywhere, and makes your clothes wet and heavy, and there’s nowhere dry or warm for miles.” He shivered. “all you can do is wait and hope for the sun to rise.”

  
     Garmadon frowned concernedly. That was far too specific to be hypothetical. “What do you mean?” He asked. Lloyd jerked, as if suddenly aware of what he was saying, and gave a forced laugh. “What? Nothing.” He stretched his arms and yawned theatrically. “Boy, is it that late already? We should get some sleep. Goodnight!”

  
     Sensei Garmadon shook his head as Lloyd rolled over, facing away from his father. He put a comforting hand on Lloyd’s shoulder and spoke.

  
     “I understand the cold too,” he began in a quiet voice, “for I spent all the years of my banishment in a world without sunlight, without warmth. The realms of madness are dark and freezing. There are no trees for firewood nor beasts for fur. It’s lonely and empty, and that makes the cold all the more potent.”

  
     Lloyd was quiet, but it was obvious he was listening.

  
     “Even in the underworld, with all its fire and brimstone, I couldn’t escape the chill seeping into my bones.”

  
     There was the sound of fabric brushing against stone as Lloyd drew his knees to his chest, shivering from both the memories and the night air. Garmadon shrugged out of his robe and laid down next to his son, drawing the garment over them as a blanket. “But we’re together now,” he said softly, laying an arm over Lloyd’s side and pulling him near, “and we can keep each other warm.”

  
     Lloyd snuggled back into his father’s warm chest and closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.


	2. Mind Control/Brainwashing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chen brainwashes Lloyd, and the Overlord steals his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had trouble with this prompt, so you get 2 drabbles for the same theme. they both end abruptly, sorry about that. wasn't sure where to go from there!
> 
> and i will do all 7 prompts for the week, even if they're a little late. i've been sleeping a lot to hopefully heal (like 12 hours a day, y i k e), but i'm doing my best!

     The two anacondrai guardsmen that held Garmadon’s arms forced him to the ground, making him kneel on the floor in front of Chen’s throne. He scowled at his former teacher, who lounged in his seat hedonistically, surrounded by kabuki and finery alike, with a foxlike grin on his face.

  
     “Ah, sensei Garmadon! What a pleasant surprise! How many years has it been? Ten? Twenty? How time flies when you’re confined to an island!”

  
     “Chen! What is the meaning of this? Where is my son?”

  
     “Oh, your little golden boy, Lloyd? And here I thought you came to catch up and remember the good old days.” Chen sighed dramatically, opening his mouth to let one of the kabuki feed him a fruit.

  
     Garmadon jerked against his captors. “Don’t toy with me, Chen! Where is he!?” he barked.

  
     “Oh, you’re no fun. Very well, if that’s the way you’re gonna be,” Chen waved his arms, shooing his kabuki to the sides of the room and out of the way. Then he clapped his hands together, summoning a figure from out behind the curtains to his side. It was Lloyd. He was dressed in elegant robes similar to Chen’s but his eyes were dull and hazy looking. He obediently stood next to Chen’s throne, staring out at the room and seeing nothing.

  
     “Lloyd!” Garmadon gasped, relief at seeing his son alive and unharmed warring with the fury at Chen for stealing him in the first place and for clearly having put the boy under some sort of spell.

  
     “Oh, so sorry, Garmadon. Lloydie only listens to me now, but I’ll pass on the message.” He patted Lloyd’s head like a dog and stage whispered, “Your daddy’s here to see you. Why don’t you be a good boy and say hello?”

  
     Like a mechanized doll, Lloyd obediently, without any inflection, said, “Hello, Sensei Garmadon.”

  
     “Good boy!” Chen praised, clapping his hands.

  
     “What have you _done_ to him?!” Garmadon growled.

  
     “Oh, this and that.” Chen leaned forward with a sly, teasing smirk. “You know, Skylor is great and all, but I have always wanted a son…”

 

* * *

 

  
     “Lloyd, stop this!” Garmadon begged, dodging another vicious swing aimed at his head. Lloyd growled low in his throat and quickly launched himself at the man again. “No, I won’t! I’m sick of everyone always telling me what to do!” His punch was deflected by Garmadon’s staff, the bamboo painfully striking against his knuckles. “I’m sick of all of you! I _hate_ you!” He spat, glittering dark matter dripping from his lips.

  
     Garmadon’s heart ached for his son, recognizing the rage and hate that he himself was once consumed by. Just as ninja never quit, evil always finds a way. The Overlord, the very manifestation of evil, never truly died. He poisoned Lloyd with his essence way back when the golden ninja had been his prisoner and personal battery. He infected him with part of himself, a backup copy should anything threaten his life. When the golden master was killed, his consciousness immediately awoke in Lloyd’s body, biding his time and gathering strength.

  
     It had all come to light that afternoon. The two Garmadons had been lounging in the monastery garden, tucked away in a private corner so they could enjoy some time alone away from prying eyes. Suddenly Lloyd had gone pale and began choking, clutching at his chest and coughing violently, black spittle staining his lips. Garmadon had tried to help him, but he collapsed, still and silent. Before Garmadon had time to truly panic, Lloyd’s eyes opened and he took in a deep, rasping breath. The ninja’s eyes, sclera included, were a bright, blinding red. A sparkling black tar began to seep from his nose and the corners of his eyes, like tears.

  
     Before Garmadon had the chance to ask if he was alright and what had happened, Lloyd screamed and launched himself at him in a flurry of teeth and nails. Garmadon couldn’t get through to his son enough for any coherent conversation, but he easily recognized the dark matter oozing from the boy’s body, a harsh reminder of his alliance with the Overlord.

  
     And so they fought; Lloyd’s anguished accusations overlapping with sinister taunts, the Overlord’s rasp speaking from his mouth, and the otherworldly black blood bleeding from his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and thus the week continues without much of any relationship being featured. this is turning into more of a 'both of these characters appear in the story together' collection than a highlight of their dynamic. oh well. try, try again!


	3. Mythical Creature AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mermaid AU. King Garmadon has been missing for years, and Prince Lloyd searches for him. We join Lloyd as he's been cornered by a sea monster...or is it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is taking longer than one week to finish lol. My physical and mental health are being put thru the wringer so my creativity is out the window.
> 
> This is a pre written draft, part of what I hope to be a full fledged story of its own someday. For now though, it will serve the purpose of day 6 of garmacest week. I'm going out of order but as long as it gets done, right? Lol.

     Lloyd trembled and cowered in the shadows of the small overhang, his heart beating wildly. He tucked his golden tail beneath him as best he could, wishing he weren't so visible and stood out so much in the darkness. He hoped that monster hadn't followed him but he was too afraid to be sure. It was a horrible thing made of oil and darkness that moved flickering and shifting with the shadows. It seemed formless and terrifying and was unlike anything living, dead, or unalive he'd ever seen before.

  
     He pressed his hands over his mouth, trying to keep himself from crying out. He had been chased for what felt like leagues by the legendary beast and he was at his limit, exhausted from exertion and fear. His wide eyes flicked around desperately trying to scan for any sort of movement, any sign that the creature was there. His panic made his vision blur.

  
     There; in the darkness, Lloyd could see two hellish red eyes, unblinking, focused solely on him. Lloyd wailed helplessly, his hands muffling the noise and making him sound like a wounded animal. Silky tears burst from his eyes and blinded him further. He broke down sobbing, throwing his head back and hiccupping his despair, hands tearing at his hair in anguish. There was no use in hiding anymore. He had been found and now his terror was all he had.

  
     He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting there screaming, but suddenly he felt a touch on his head. He screamed and fell onto his back, staring in panic at the monster that now lurked in front of him. Its hand was still in the air where he had just been. It looked at Lloyd with pity and grief, its tentacles reaching towards the boy. Lloyd flinched away from them with a moan but all they did was cradle his face and wipe his tears.

  
     Its writhing, twisted body loomed, seemingly unsure and hesitant. A deep thrum sounded from the back of its lungs, a vibration and sound meant to reassure but only frightening the boy further. He was incoherent with fear. He couldn't think beyond the bestial terror freezing his muscles and drowning his mind with panic. He was hyperventilating. He couldn't breathe. His gills fluttered rapidly.

  
     A black hand grasped his head and pulled him into a skeletal chest. He was surprised at the heat radiating from its body. He shook and cried, shutting his eyes. The hand on his head began to comb through his hair soothingly. Two more hands wrapped around his back, holding him tight. A fourth cupped his cheek and brushed the tears from his eyes.

  
     "Lloyd."

  
     The terror spoke. Its voice was a rasping growl that seemed to come from everywhere at once. Lloyd shook his head blindly, hiding his face. If this was his end, he didn't want to see it.

  
     "Ssh, hush now. You're safe."

  
     More pearly tears fell from his eyes. He felt exhausted. He had nearly gone into a catatonic state from the fear. He was so tired. With a shuddering sob, he let his body collapse into the monster's embrace and his mind fell into oblivion.

* * *

  
     Lloyd awoke slowly, feeling dazed and woozy. His eyelids fluttered weakly as he fought the pull to return to sleep. His head lolled to the side and his sluggish mind took in the fact that he didn’t know where he was. Then he glanced down and saw that his tail and arm had been bandaged, the latter in a sling across his chest. Before he could start to remember what had happened, two glowing red eyes appeared from the dark, startling him.

  
     He tried to swim backwards but his broken arm threw off his balance and the best he could do was manage to roll onto his side.

  
     “Lloyd!”

  
     The monster was at his side faster than he could blink, holding him steady and checking to see if he had aggravated his wounds.

  
     “Don’t move, you’ll hurt yourself. How are you feeling?”

  
     Lloyd stared up at the demon with wide, feverish eyes. “What… why-” he shut his eyes as a wave of dizziness passed through him.

  
     “Lloyd, are you alright?! Son, what happened? How did you find this place; what happened to you?”

  
      _Son?_

  
     “How do you know my name?” the blond prince weakly asked.

  
     “How-? Lloyd, it’s me, your father!”

  
     The demon furrowed its brow in desperation, its gaze passionate and pleading. Lloyd didn't want to believe it, but those were the same eyes that his father bore the last time he saw him; telling him he loved him and that he wouldn’t be gone long, and to please behave for your mother and uncle Wu for once.

  
     “…Dad?”

  
     The monster- no, his dad- sagged in relief, his scarred lips turning up in a weak smile.

  
     “Yes, my son, it’s me.”

     " _Dad_!"

  
     Lloyd’s face screwed up with emotion, too many to count, and he struggled to pull himself upright. But Garmadon knew what he wanted and fell forward, embracing his long lost son with strong but infinitely gentle arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed this one! mermaids are my fav ever. i'll try to keep writing but i cant promise anything. wish me luck tho

**Author's Note:**

> I want a story where garmadon learns about all the time lloyd spent alone as a kid, and this was almost it, but in the end i couldnt do it. another time, perhaps.


End file.
